Spring type projectile projecting device

Abstract

A plastic pistol shaped toy dart gun having a barrel with a non-circular muzzle opening for a suction cup ended dart shaft having a cooperating cross section with that opening; which barrel houses a helical compressible dart ejecting spring and has extending along the side of the barrel, the longer leg of an L-shaped trigger pivoted centrally of this leg. This trigger has a hook at the outer end of this longer leg for engaging a notch in the shaft of the dart for cocking the gun, and at the inner end of the longer leg a spring side engagable portion for insuring engagement of the hook when the proper dart is properly inserted into the gun. The barrel also contains opposite this spring engagable portion on the trigger, a spring deflector cam to urge the compressed spring against this engagable portion of the trigger for further insuring engagement of the hook into the notch in the dart's shaft for cocking the gun.

I claim: 
     
       1. In a dart gun comprising a barrel having an outer open end and a closed inner end, a helical compression spring in said barrel engaging said closed inner end, and a projectile having a shank with a notch therealong and being insertable in said open outer end of said barrel for compressing said spring, the improvement comprising: A. a trigger means for holding and releasing said projectile having a longitudinal portion extending along said barrel intermediate the ends thereof, and being pivoted intermediate said longitudinal portion adjacent said barrel, said longitudinal portion having a hook at one end engageable with said notch in said projectile and an abutment at its other and engageable with the side of said spring, and   B. a deflector means in said barrel opposite said abutment on said trigger means for urging the lateral side of said spring towards said abutment on said trigger means to urge said hook into engagement with said notch.   
     
     
       2. A dart gun according to claim 1 wherein the outer open end of said barrel has a configuration with at least one radial notch portion which extends beyond the inside diameter of said helical spring, and wherein the shank of said projectile has a corresponding matchable cross-sectional configuration. 
     
     
       3. A dart gun according to claim 2 wherein said notch portion has tapered sides. 
     
     
       4. A dart gun according to claim 3 wherein said projectile has a longitudinal ridge with tapered sides corresponding in cross-section to the tapered sides of said notch portion. 
     
     
       5. A dart gun according to claim 2 wherein said barrel has a longitudinal groove corresponding to said notch portion. 
     
     
       6. A dart gun according to claim 1 wherein said projectile has an outwardly concave suction cup adhered to the end of said shank which remains outside the barrel of said gun. 
     
     
       7. A dart gun according to claim 1 wherein said deflector means in said barrel comprises a convex shaped ridge radially extending partly toward the longitudinal axis of said barrel. 
     
     
       8. A dart gun according to claim 1 wherein said trigger means has an L-shaped configuration in which the longitudinal portion comprises the longer leg of the L and the shorter leg of the L comprises a trigger finger portion.